We are having to redo our coop and we would like tips on building one for AZ heat. Right now we have a tractor and would like something we can stand in.I am always torn between airiness and worrying about rain protection. I know it doesn’t rain here much but I always worry about cold wet chickens. Is this a mistake? I have read the scary thread about the chickens getting sick and dying from the heat.I am kind of thinking of just having a three sided covered area for roosting and nest boxes and leaving the front open. If this is a good design how big an area should we have enclosed on three sides? We have four chickens.P.S. I would love to see pictures of your coops that are working well. I have looked through the pictures here. Thanks to those of you who have posted them.
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Thanks to all for your advice. We have been busy rebuilding our coop and it is almost done. Just need to redo the nesting box. We really appreciate all the advice and pictures - it really helped us.
Open and airy is best. They need an area that protects them from weather, but heat is by far a greater concern here. They have to have a roof. My coop is wood on two adjoining sides, and one side is shade cloth stapled to a 2X4 frame, and the door is just mesh wire. There are hardware cloth "windows" on three sides as well.
Mine is a very open design and I like it because I can reach everything easily. I don't think they need a closed house in Arizona. I don't think it ever gets too cold for them for too long. I only worry about the heat. The top and sides are covered in wire mesh while I put shade cloth on the roof in the summer.
My coop houses 7 chickens right now and it is 6 feet wide 13 feet long and almost 7 foot tall. so far the only thing I realized that I did wrong was not leave a covered area for the food. It is all open to rain and the elements except the roosting area. I am left with wet food or poopy food, so I plan to cover the rest of the coop with something.
You can have an open-air setup with a rain-proof roof on it. Have the roof hang over or come down the sides a bit for the driving sideways rains and winds we get. My chickens move out of the rain and don't seem to like getting wet.
I have an open coop, with a roofless run, completely enclosed by chicken wire. The chickens seem to like this. Also, in response to one of your other questions, I have a 2x8 roost with a ramp up to it and they go to bed there every night, so they must like it!
Actually I have the roost so the wide part is flat. They seem to like it. I have a closet dowel posted on the back, but it may be too high and too close to the wall. I will be moving it down and further out, just haven't done it yet.
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Greenhouse (16).jpg
See my wife's photos:
here, and here.
See this photo.
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